I Know You
by awkwardxconfused
Summary: It wasn't supposed to be you.
1. Chapter 1

**We've got exams soon, so have at it.**

 **I.**

Cold winds raged outside, droplets of rain softly pattered on the windowsill, and the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee permeated in the air.

 _(The silence is comforting.)_

From beside, the pile of blankets shifted as the sleeping lump underneath shifted in their slumber. Heat radiated off of them in waves.

 _(I enjoy your warmth.)_

A sleeping maiden's face peeked from underneath the blankets – the epitome of peace and innocence. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, eyeing the slumbering maiden fondly. He lifts a hand to lightly comb her flowing tresses, freeing them of the unruly tangles he knew she loathed to brush at the end of each day.

 _(You never cease to make my heart flutter.)_

She shifts some more and he notices. It seems she's slowly awakening from her slumber. With one last pat on her head, he stands up and quietly slips away with the grace of a quiet mouse.

 _(I'm sorry I can't meet you.)_

She awakens, her hair unusually neat despite being asleep for quite a while. She blinks, noticing the small creases on the spot beside her.

She smiles.

 _(I'm sorry I can't stay.)_

She spots the mug sitting in the middle of her black coffee table, steam wafting out, and picks it up. Her fingers trace the contour of the pristine white mug – it's still warm. She brings it to her lips and lets the bitter liquid fill her stomach with warmth.

He smiles unconsciously.

She sets down the mug, lifting her head to turn to the window across the room.

A warm smile spreads across her lips.

His heartbeat picks up.

She knows.

 _(I want to meet you, but I'm still not worthy of you.)_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I wrote this in the middle of class, (even though I have a project to finish) and I tried to play around with it. So I tried to experiment a bit, I think I failed.**

 **This chapter turned out too short and lacking in content (I think).**

 **I wasn't supposed to post this yet. But I guess while in the middle of finishing a lot of projects for school, I got bored and decided to post. And this is actually such a random time for a school day. It's almost 1 am and I'm sitting here alone, by the bottom of the stairs outside our dorm rooms and it's so cold and our electric sockets aren't working. Apparently, this is a great time to go online since the internet's faster. And we have a quiz on Physics and I still do not understand a single thing.**

 **Anyway, this chapter is probably the calm before the storm. Expect things to go haywire real soon. So yes, this is going to be a multi-chap fic (although I'll be keeping each chapter short).**

 **(As if I don't have a shit ton of fics to update)**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's around 4 am and day 2 of our exams start at around 7:30 am and I haven't slept yet (I don't plan to, anyway). So here you go.**

 **II.**

And at night he lies in restless trepidation, with fear in his eyes and lingering expressions of contrition.

 _(I'm sorry, I'm sorry.)_

He grips his sheets tightly, his knuckles turn white. His eyes flicker around the dark expanse of the room, as if eyes were suddenly all over the walls. He knows there aren't any though – but he still looks around just to make sure. Because he'd be damned if someone ever saw him right now – his state of remorse is simply unsightly.

 _(I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.)_

He closes his eyes. Dread overcomes his mind.

Oh how cruel the mind is, to fabricate such intricate lies that can induce fear within the depths of his heart.

Villages engulfed in roaring flames – flames so bright and orange; flames that were supposed to be for warmth and not ruin.

 _'It's your fault.'_

 _(No.)_

The downfall of buildings, once tall and mighty. The collapsing of old structures that once told the story of the country's ancestry.

 _'You did this.'_

 _(No.)_

The gut-wrenching cries of devastation and pain, of heartaches and loss. Gone were the strong bonds of family and friendship, cut by the merciless monster that was destruction and ruin.

 _'Monster.'_

 _(I'm not.)_

A small girl of barely 5 years old lies on the ground, her back to him, abandoned, barely breathing. For a moment, the girl's body twitched and a whimper elicited from her tiny mouth. The body turned, facing him.

He gasps.

 _'Your fault.'_ The girl's eyes seemed to scream as the battered body finally went limp and motionless.

 _(No. I – I…)_

He jolts awake, his breathing heavy, his heartbeat erratic. He sits up .Cold sweat trickles down the side of his face.

 _(It was a dream. Not real. Not real.)_

He tried to convince himself that all were simply figments of his imagination.

But something felt off.

And everything felt real.

( _No. Just a dream.)_

He lies back down again, attempting to close his eyes.

 _(Leave me alone.)_

But every time he is met with darkness, he sees the same thing over and over again.

 _(No. You're not real.)_

He opens his eyes, tries to slap some sense into himself. Though he had never in his life met anyone of semblance to the image, it had started to haunt him.

 _(Why? Who are you?)_

He closes his eyes once more.

The image of the girl reappears.

And he shivers.

( _Why? Why do you look like me?)_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Care to play guess the characters? (I'm not telling if anyone got it right though.)**

 **(My hand's hurting from writing too much and my neck has been hurting since yesterday so I thought I should take a quick break.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's been quite long since I updated, long enough for our last exams for the school year/finals to come by while my last update occurred during one of our exam weeks.**

 **Anyway, we have our research defense today and I am totally unprepared. So here's an update?**

 **III.**

It has been days since she last slept peacefully.

Because every time she closes her eyes, her monsters come out to play.

 _((No, please go away.))_

And gone were the nights when the warmth of the extra weight by her side lulled her to sleep.

 _((How'd it become this way?))_

Instead she sits, staring out into the dark expanse that lies beyond her window. She drowns out the noise, lets her mind wander, and stares.

The shroud of mist pouring out into the streets makes her shiver.

 _((This fear is so irrational.))_

And when daylight comes, she finds herself dozing off. Her mind far away, her eyes clouded and glazed.

And when confronted, she'll smile and say she was up all night, writing.

But the eyes burning into her back know that she lied.

 _((Let me lie about this for a while longer.))_

She'd excuse herself, make her way home early.

 _((The only reason I still go is so they won't get suspicious, anyway.))_

And one particular day, as rain drowns the shit away, she finds herself settled comfortably, close to dozing off on her couch.

As her eyes slowly close, she feels herself stiffen. Somehow, she could hear her monsters mocking her in her head.

 _((I'm really losing my mind.))_

Her eyes close, but her mind is awake. Her body is stiff, her heartbeat is fast.

She is wary; her mind's driven by fear.

She's tired, so so tired.

No matter how much she tries, she can't seem to get rid of her fears, anyway.

 _((It's suffocating, it's like I'm drowning.))_

Her mind lay in restless agony, torn between the decision of going to sleep or staying awake.

But she knew deciding was futile, no matter where she is, whether she's awake or not, the monsters come anyway.

 _((Why won't you leave me alone?))_

She stiffens some more. She feels a presence in her room.

So quiet, so careful.

She relaxes a bit, a smile threatens to show.

 _((He's here again.))_

There's a shift on the couch, and one end feels heavier. She almost flinches when she feels a hand on her head, but then relaxes as the hand moves to smooth down her hair.

And just like that, all the tension goes down the drain.

 _((You put me at ease.))_

His presence seems to bring her comfort.

 _((How ironic.))_

Next thing she knows, she's on the verge of drifting off.

 _((This is when the monsters start to appear.))_

But the monsters stopped coming.

She smiles inwardly.

 _((His warmth is comforting.))_

She hasn't slept so peacefully in such a long time.

 _((Thank you.))_

…

She didn't know how long she had slumbered, but she had felt so refreshed.

 _((It's a nice break from all the nightmares.))_

She can still feel his presence, his hand in her hair.

His gentle motions give off waves of ease.

She wonders why.

 _((It's probably because it's you.))_

She slightly shifts, already feeling the soreness of her neck.

She feels his form change and he stops.

His hand moves away.

 _((Don't stop.))_

His hands find their way onto her soft locks once more and just stay there, long enough to give her a gentle pat.

And all of a sudden, she feels his warm presence disappear from the vicinity.

 _((Why won't you stay?))_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I'll probably have more free time to write this week onward since the only thing left to do at school is the research defense. (Thank god I was a pilot tester for some shit others have to take this week). But then again, that still isn't assured since I might get busy revising our research paper soon.**

 **Oh well.**


End file.
